WinKeySim -The Windows Keyboard Simulator (freeware)

WinKeySim is a freeware program for Windows 95 and later and Windows NT 4.0 and later. WinKeySim gives keyboard macro support for practically any Windows program that supports keyboard input. Generally speaking, if it can be done with the keyboard,
it can be done with a WinKeySim macro. WinKeySim works by simulating keystrokes to your target Windows application. The target application believes that the user has manually typed in the keystrokes using the keyboard when, in fact, the keystrokes
are being fed into the keyboard buffer by WinKeySim.

To use WinKeySim, you create a macro using a very simple scripting language which consists of the characters you wish WinKeySim to simulate for you and a few simple tags that WinKeySim recognizes as directives, such as the [!NNN] tag that tells
WinKeySim to pause for NNN milliseconds to allow the target application to complete a task. Some examples are included on this page to give you an idea of what I mean. The online help file contains a tutorial to get you started creating your macros.
You don't have to be a programmer to do this. Trust me, it is very simple.

Your macros are always available to you via a popup context menu when you right click the mouse on the WinKeySim icon, which is placed in the System Tray next to the system clock usually located on the lower right hand corner of the screen in
Windows. To use your macro, you select it from the popup context menu and then click on your target application window where you wish WinKeySim to simulate the keystrokes that you defined in your macro definition.

It is projected that the most common use for WinKeySim will be for creating login scripts. For example, if your login requires that you enter your username, followed by the tab key, followed by your password, followed by the enter key, you can
create a macro to help automate the process as follows:

(This assumes a username of "johnsmith" and a password of "js123456")

Then, to login to your account, you would just right click on the WinKeySim icon, select your macro, and then click on the place where you would normally click in order to begin typing in your username. That is just a simple example. You can
do more advanced stuff, too, such as creating a form letter template that can prompt you to enter data for the embedded elements in the form. As an example of this, suppose you are sending out invitations to a birthday party to several friends. You
could just send the same generic e-mail to all of them or you could personalize each message with that particular friend's name and any other personal stuff you can think of. Here is an example of a form letter template script that you might decide
to use:

This example is a very short and to the point message. You could get cuter and add a lot more verbiage, even using that friend's significant other, such as "feel free to bring whomever with you if you like". Your friends will all think you took the time
to write each of them separately. What the heck, I won't tell them if you won't.

Obviously, birthday's only come once a year. Also, the above example is so short that the payoff isn't so great in terms of time savings. But, if this were a sales letter that you routinely send out to prospective customers, being able to personalize
each letter with the client's first name could be potentially quite lucrative.

Another potential use might be your own address. Instead of typing out your mailing address each time you write a letter in MS Word, for example, you could have WinKeySim type it out for you at the click of the mouse! You can also use WinKeySim
to create shortcuts to programs using the Start button's Run command. For example, a shortcut to the Windows calculator program would be

You would use this shortcut by clicking the "Start" button after choosing this macro from the popup context menu. The "r" brings up the "Run" dialog box. The "calc" is entered into the command box. The "[enter]" simulates the enter key, which
executes the command to bring up the calculator program.

WinKeySim also works as a pretty good browser bookmark list. Here is an example macro for setting up a URL shortcut:

In the above example, the URL link is for netscape.com's free web-based e-mail, but could be any URL you like. You use the macro by clicking on the browser's address bar. The macro first ensures that the caret is at the beginning of the address
by simulating the HOME button. Then, SHIFT+END highlights any existing address bar contents and the DELETE button deletes the current contents. The [!150] tells the computer to pause just a bit before entering the URL on the next line to allow slower
computers to catch up. Then, the macro types in the desired URL and simulates the ENTER key. You could use the browser's built-in bookmark/favorite list, but this method has the benefit of being cross-browser compatible. So, if you change browsers
you can still retain your bookmarks. And, multiple users of the same computer can set up their own personal set of bookmarks for increased privacy.

Thank you for your interest in WinKeySim. Please take this time to visit some of my other
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